Kennewick Municipal Code Chapter 9.48 declares the outdoor accumulation of junk, debris, broken appliances, scrap material, neglected furnishings, and similar unsightly conditions on private property to be a public nuisance. The chapter is enforced by Kennewick Code Enforcement. A Compliance Warning Letter triggers a standard 45-day cure period, after which a Notice and Order may be issued with a minimum civil penalty of $500. Voluntary Correction Agreements are available, but post-VCA violations escalate to $1,000.
Kennewick treats visible exterior property blight as a nuisance subject to civil abatement rather than as a building-code or zoning issue. KMC Chapter 9.48 defines a public nuisance to include the outdoor storage of equipment, furnishings, appliances, vehicle parts, building materials, scrap, or similar items that create an unsightly condition visible from a public right-of-way or adjoining property. The chapter is administered by Kennewick Code Enforcement, which the city publishes as its 'Most Unwanted List' of the most common violations: junk and debris (KMC 9.48.010), unsecured appliances, weed hazards over 12 inches (also KMC 9.48.010), and vehicle-repair activity on residential property (KMC 9.48.010) limited to minor maintenance such as oil changes and tire repairs on approved parking surfaces for up to seven days, with major repair work required to be inside an enclosed garage. The standard enforcement process is: complaint intake through the Citizen Request Access Portal, validation by a Code Enforcement Officer, issuance of a Compliance Warning Letter with a 45-day deadline, re-inspection, and if non-compliance continues, a Notice and Order with a minimum $500 civil penalty. Property owners may appeal within 30 days for a $250 non-refundable fee, with appeals heard by a Hearing Examiner. Voluntary Correction Agreements offer additional time, but violations after a signed VCA are penalized at $1,000. More serious nuisances (substandard, unfit, or vacant structures) fall under the parallel chapter KMC 9.44 administered by the Building Official; basic blight from accumulated material remains a KMC 9.48 matter.
Civil-infraction enforcement under KMC 9.48, with Compliance Warning Letter (45-day cure), then Notice and Order with minimum $500 fine, escalating to $1,000 for post-VCA violations. The city may abate the nuisance and assess the cost to the property under Washington's special-assessment authority in RCW 35A.21.405 (nuisance abatement special assessment, with notice requirements that the city must follow). Appeals run to the Hearing Examiner within 30 days for a $250 fee. Continued non-compliance after a Notice and Order may also be referred for criminal misdemeanor prosecution under KMC 9.48's penalty provisions in egregious cases.
Kennewick, WA
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See how Kennewick's property blight rules stack up against other locations.
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